


Love, Liberty, and Other Lies

by ladystarknaked



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Femslash, Femslash February, Les Amis de l'ABC Shenanigans, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-14 17:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3418985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladystarknaked/pseuds/ladystarknaked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eponine's life is a Coffee Shop AU, or so Jehan tells her. She only knows that life is hard, work is necessary, and love doesn't exist. Then Marius brings his new not-girlfriend, who just happens to be a part of Eponine's dark past. Along with the other crazy stuff that happens to the ABC family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love, Liberty, and Other Lies

Day 1 (aka: the day it all began)

When I found an ad for a barista, I knew there was someone looking out for me. I had always loved coffee shops. Baristas were trustworthy and comforting, and coffee shops could be a meditative space for hopeless romantics and cynics alike. A good cup of coffee could save any shitty day, and I had an unending series of shitty days. Serving coffee might not be the best job, but there was always a line for a cuppa. Working something steady meant I would not run into crazies and I’d be safe.  
Fucking hell, Eponine, you’d think you’d learn.  
It turns out coffee shops are a great center for activists, students, and their obscene friends. I was always busy and tired with work, but not necessarily because of a line. The Musain (that is, the place I work) is the mecca for this one group, the “ABC”. Their focus is on student, minority and LGBTQ rights, but they were lacking big support from our non-student community.  
“Hey ‘ponine, get me a large mocha latte, please?”  
“Not until you properly come up and pay for it, Marius. You know I can’t hear you until I see some green.”  
Marius always asked for drinks like this. When I first met him, Marius was linguistics major with a hard-on for Napoleon, though I am not sure he knew who that was. We lived next to each other for a while, when I was still living with my parents. He was cute and sweet to me, in a way I had never known. Compared to my ex, Marius was a dream. A very clumsy and childish dream.  
In the end, I was wrong about him too. We never did anything, but he became too close to me. I could trust him with anything, and he with me. When I realized he had no knowledge of the hardships I knew intimately, we could honestly only be friends.  
I smiled about this as I handed him the mocha latte.  
“Merci, ‘ponine! You know, I am bringing my new girlfriend here today. I really hope you like her. She’s the sweetest and most angelic figure I’ve ever met.” He couldn’t help but blush at the thought of her. I, on the other hand, was more cynical of his description. Marius fell in love at least once a day.  
I looked away from the coffee machine, “I’m sure that’s true, Marius. But I can’t ensure I’ll like her like you do. Remember Jack?”  
He blushed again at this thought. Jack was his first boyfriend. After living/fucking Courfeyrac for a year, Marius finally owned up to his bisexuality. He and Jack seemed sweet to each other, but I could recognize Jack’s possessive personality immediately. He reminded me of Montparnasse and my father, and countless other lovers of my youth. Marius was too sweet to understand Jack’s incessant calls, or his jealousy of our friendship. It was only after Jack stalked Marius’s workplace, that Marius finally broke up him. I was glad to see him go.  
“It’s not like that,” Marius explained. “Jack was a hui, and I didn’t know any better. Cosette is different. She’s a force against the darkness, and I think she’s the one.”  
I wanted to laugh, but it would be too cruel. Marius had such a look of happiness, I could not bring him down. So I smiled instead, trying to brush away any lingering thoughts on the girl’s name.  
“That’s great, Marius. I’m glad you’re looking on the brightside. We could use a little optimism in here. Your club’s been a bit downtrodden since the last protest.”  
As if on cue, Enjolras and zer merrymen entered. Enjolras was the ABC’s leader, and ze fit the part of the idealist perfectly. A brilliant, but socially dimwitted person, Enjolras was sometimes difficult to deal with. Rather than accept zer always black coffee, ze would remind me to sign this petition, show up to that protest, or read more political science books. Enjolras just could not understand that the common person did not have the ability to give up their life for the cause.  
Enjolras’s friends at least acknowledged that ze was a bit extreme, but each of them were dedicated to ze’s vision. Some of them, however, were only dedicated to Enjolras. My friend Grantaire was one of them. He was older and a little depressing, as most artists are. Grantaire worked at the coffee shop longer than I had, and it seemed like he would never leave. Even on days off, like today, R would come in with a small whiskey bottle to even out his coffee. He was rough around the edges, like me, but he didn’t hide his emotions as well as I did. Even now Grantaire stared openly at Enjolras, an art notebook in his dark hand, where I suspected there was another drawing of his “Apollo”.  
I decided to prevent a disaster in the works, by greeting the incoming group,  
“No need to say hello, kids. What shall I get you today?”  
Combeferre replied first, “a pot of coffee, Eponine, if you please. We need more caffeine if we want to get through this meeting.” She passed some money to the cashier. As I prepared the coffee, I noticed the dark circles under their eyes.  
“What’s with the long faces, Ferre? You usually look less terrible.”  
“Ponine, you can really charm girl. We’ve got midterms this week, and I’m in way over my head. Remind me why I wanted to be a doctor?”  
Enjolras interjects before I can, “Because you love helping people, and a doctorate is the best way to ensure you do.”  
I nod along, adding, “Plus this lot gets into more fights than anyone else I know, and they’ll need someone to help clean them off.”  
“Hey we only fight with people who deserve it, Ep,” Bahorel shouts.  
I reply to her with a sigh, “or maybe you like showing off.” Bahorel doesn’t say anything because she knows it’s true. When we were dating fucking, she was fierce and passionate. The sex was fantastic, but every other moment together involved yelling and fighting. Leave it to me to attract the girl with a hard-on for punk music and boxing.  
Bahorel gave me a once-over, as if trying to find the argument she wanted. But she would not get her chance. Enjolras calls her over to start the meeting and asks where Feuilly is. I try to tune out the rest of the meeting, since I’ve heard it all before. Enjolras wants to plan another protest, Courfeyrac needs artists for the new fliers, and Combeferre reminds them to stay within their budget. The only difference is Marius. He’s looking back from the door to his phone, and he comes up for a new cup of coffee every five minutes. I decide to intervene.  
“You have to slow down, Marius, or the coffee will kill you. You’re too delicate to react normally to caffeine.”  
Marius looks down at his empty cup and then back up at me. He finally mumbles, “can I at least have a cup of tea? And, erm, maybe a scone?”  
“Yes, but that’s all I’m giving you. I don’t want your new girlfriend to be put off by your insanity. You’re jittery enough as it is.” He blushes once more, taking a sip of his tea.  
Though he mumbles “she’s not my girlfriend”, his tone implied he would like to change that.  
The cafe door then opens with a creak, and Marius turns around so quickly he almost drops his cup. I look over his shoulder to see if it is his new not-girlfriend, but it is only Jehan. Ze floats around the cafe in a bright blue dress and yellow tights, kissing Grantaire and Courfeyrac on the cheek. I prepared Jehan’s green tea latte with as much delicacy as possible, even attempting a flower design. Though ze appeared whimsical and soft, Jehan was a tiny ball of fury. I suppose that’s why everyone loved zer. It seemed as though nothing could bother zer, even at protests or when we went out for drinks. People would say and do terrible things toward our group, but Jehan would just flip zer hair and fire back something witty without issue.  
“Bonjour, darlings! You look lovely as always, Eponina. Marius, you look like you’ve seen the dead. Cheer up, dearie!”  
I looked at Marius over the cashier, and agreed with Jehan.  
“Marius, is she here?”, I asked.  
Jehan looked over toward the door and let out a low whistle. I tried to get a view of the girl, but Marius was blocking her body. From behind the cashier, I saw that she had darker skin and big curly hair. Jehan took zer up and walked over to greet the not-girlfriend. I took the free moment to get more cups and pastries from the backroom. Then I heard Marius calling me to the front.  
I wish I paid more attention to each moment. I wish I understood the beauty of sound and happiness. I wish I wasn’t so fucked up and alone.  
But most of all, I wish I met her first.  
“Hello. I’m Cosette.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if this story is worth continuing! Also, this hasn't been beta'd yet. Sorry for any mistakes.


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